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Studies Uncover Possible New Factors That Alter a Person’s Risk for Developing MS

March 14, 2016

Two recent studies have uncovered new lifestyle factors that may influence whether a person develops multiple sclerosis or not:

Harvard researchers -- including National MS Society-funded Dr. Cassandra Munger -- reported that children whose mothers were deficient in vitamin D during pregnancy may have nearly twice the risk of developing MS. Additional research is needed to confirm and understand this finding.

On the flip side, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Johns Hopkins University reported that people who drank about four cups of coffee daily had a lower risk of developing MS compared to those who did not drink coffee. Further research is needed to understand this link.

MORE: Research on risk factors is complicated, and cause and effect are difficult to establish. It's important to note that not every mother with low levels of vitamin D will have a child who develops MS, and not everyone who drinks large amounts of coffee will avoid developing MS.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.